Sports briefs

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 25, 2009

Prep football coach slain; ex-player arrested

PARKERSBURG, Iowa -- A high school coach who helped launch several professional football careers was gunned down by a former player Wednesday in front of students taking part in an offseason workout, authorities said.

Mark Becker, 24, who was supposed to have been taken to a hospital psychiatric ward after allegedly leading police on a high- speed chase Saturday night, unloaded several rounds into Aplington- Parkersburg High School football coach Ed Thomas and was arrested at a nearby home soon afterward, said Kevin Winker, assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Winker said he couldn't discuss what Becker's motive for the slaying might have been, or what Becker might have been up to in the days leading up to the shooting.

"Motive is one of those things we're looking into," Winker said.

School was not in session, and Becker did not threaten any of the students in the room, he said.

Thomas, 58, died at a Waterloo hospital. His shooting stunned the rural community of 1,800 residents 80 miles northeast of Des Moines, and it reverberated through NFL circles, where he was remembered as much for his Christian faith as his winning record.

"Coach Thomas was very special to me and many other young men from the Aplington-Parkersburg communities," said Green Bay Packers linebacker Aaron Kampman. "His legacy for many will be associated with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his greatest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ."

Named the NFL's 2005 high school coach of the year, Thomas amassed a 292-84 record in 37 seasons as a head coach -- 34 of them at Aplington-Parkersburg. He coached several players who went on to the NFL, including Green Bay Packers linebacker Aaron Kampman, Jacksonville Jaguars center Brad Meester, Detroit Lions defensive end Jared DeVries, and Denver Broncos center Casey Wiegmann.

Peppers ends stalemate with Panthers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Julius Peppers' stalemate with the Carolina Panthers is over, leaving the defensive end rich and the NFC South champions free from worrying about a holdout.

Peppers signed his one-year, $16.7 million tender on Wednesday, five months after the four-time Pro Bowl selection first announced he wanted to play elsewhere next season. It means Peppers, Carolina's all-time sacks leader, should be present for the start of training camp.

"Recently, I've had positive and productive discussions with the organization," Peppers said in a statement released by his agent, Carl Carey. "I am optimistic and focused as I look forward to the upcoming NFL season."

Shortly after the Panthers were eliminated in the playoffs in January, Peppers said he was "maxed out" in Carolina and wanted to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.

He insisted he would never sign a long-term contract with the Panthers and pleaded for them to not place the restrictive franchise tag on him. The Panthers did it anyway. It meant the Panthers had to give him a contract that would pay him more than $1 million a game, but another team couldn't sign him unless it gave Carolina two first- round draft picks in return.

Jordan's son will leave Illinois program

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Michael Jordan's son Jeff is leaving Illinois after two seasons.

The former walk-on guard surprised nearly everyone Wednesday by announcing that he plans to focus on his studies, just a few months after Illinois coach Bruce Weber said Jordan had a chance to earn more playing time and even a leadership role during his junior year.

"I loved playing for the Fighting Illini and appreciate the support I was given by my teammates, coaches and the great fans here," Jordan in a statement. "But I have come to the point where I'm ready to focus on life after basketball."

Jordan got a scholarship before the 2009 spring semester. In all, he appeared in 59 career games, totaling 58 points, 42 assists and 24 rebounds. A defensive specialist, Jordan averaged 8.4 minutes as a sophomore after playing 5.3 minutes per game as a true freshman.

Weber said Jordan will be missed.

"He brought great work ethic to the gym and pushed himself, as well as his teammates, each and every day to improve. We will miss him, but we fully support the decision he has made," Weber said.

Michael Jordan's youngest son, Marcus, has committed to playing at Central Florida next season.

Decathlon champ may miss U.S. meet

EUGENE, Ore. -- Olympic decathlon champion Bryan Clay injured his left hamstring while practicing for the U.S. track championships and says he's questionable for the start of the meet today.

Clay said he'll warm up before the first event and will decide whether he can compete in the sport's most grueling event. He hurt himself Tuesday during a light practice.

"If this were a week ago, or 10 days ago, it's no big deal," he said. "But it happened two days before and I can't work magic."

If he can't go, it will have repercussions beyond this week. Only the top three finishers at the nationals can advance to world championships in August, and Clay's Olympic title last year does not earn him an automatic spot. Defending champions from the 2007 worlds do earn wild-card spots in the 2009 worlds, but Clay withdrew from that decathlon with an injury while he was in second place.